Disposable absorbent articles, such as diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, feminine hygiene garments and the like have become very popular in the market place today. Typically, adhesive tape tabs fasteners are used to secure the absorbent articles about the waist of the wearer. Such fasteners are generally manufactured separately from the absorbent articles to which they are attached. For example, it is common for the manufacture of tape tabs to take place in different facilities than the manufacture of the absorbent article chassis, and at a different time. Generally, tape tabs are manufactured by applying a release agent to a backing and winding the backing onto a roll. The roll of backing material treated with a release agent is then unwound and coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive, forming a tape stock. The tape stock is then rewound onto rolls for shipping. Finally, at the place of manufacture of the absorbent article, the tape stock is unwound, cut to size, and joined to the chassis of an absorbent article.
An overriding consideration in the construction of a disposable absorbent article is the cost of manufacturing the absorbent article. The present invention provides a reduced cost method for the manufacture of tape tabs for use with disposable absorbent articles. If desired, the tape tabs can be manufactured concurrently with the chassis of the absorbent articles and in the same location, thus eliminating the need to rewind the tape stock or prepare it for shipping. This also eliminates the need to coat the non-adhesive surface of the tape stock with a release agent, simplifying the process of manufacturing the tape tabs and reducing the overall cost of manufacturing the disposable absorbent articles.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a low cost method for manufacturing tape tab stock that may be used to produce tape tabs for use with disposable absorbent articles.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for the on-line manufacture of tape tabs to be used with disposable absorbent articles.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for the manufacture of tape tabs and tape tab stock with improved processibility and hygiene.
These and other objectives of the present invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.